Intense Algae Problem

**genocidex** · 03-20-2013, 02:57 PM

anubias is not a true rooted plant. ecocomplete is waisted on plants like that. eco complete was made for plants that feed from the roots (or both) but that plant feeds from the water column if i remember right... also they do best in low light set ups. ladyhobbs had and issue growing those in higher light set ups, but in the lower light it grew fast.

anacharis is also another water column feeder, and it looks like a moss. the crypt you have (i think its a crypt) would be the only plant that would benifit from the ecocomplete.

**Lady Hobbs** · 03-20-2013, 03:25 PM

You have black beard algae. Most all algaes are caused from high phosphates or nutrients that are not balancing with your phosphate levels. You also have some pretty strong light of 2 watts of T5HO bulbs but have slow growing plants.

Black beard should not be rubbed off. Spores that break loose will start a new batch of algae elsewhere in the tank. I keep my lights on a timer and only keep them on 6 hours a day. Several types of plants can be dipped in a solution of bleach water (19 parts water to one part bleach) for perhaps two minutes. Java fern and anubias are two such plants that tolerate it well. Others like vals do not and neither would Wisteria, hornwort or any of that type so it's a chance you take. I also cut away as much algae as I can.

With your tank in the shape that it is, I would probably start using Excel to kill off as much as I can and trim away all leaves that are not in good shape. I would only dose Excel as recommended. It will take a while longer but the algae will stop growing at that dose and die off eventually. But you need to get to the root cause, as well. I, too, believe you need to start dosing with ferts to balance those nutrients and cut down on hours of light.

Part of the problem is that you have slow growers but lights that support fast growers. I would remove one bulb if your light will work with one. (Some fixtures will not.) My 29 gallon has nothing on it but a clamp on shop light and it's full of plants. I use no CO2 in any of my tanks. Your problems began when you increased your light so there's your answer. More ferts are needed with more light requirements.

This was taken several months ago and the plants are much larger now but you get the idea.

**Lady Hobbs** · 03-20-2013, 03:33 PM

PS......With a tank sparingly planted and with low light plants, you also do not want to over fertilize or you'll simply be adding too many nutrients for slow growing plants. I add ferts once a week after my water change. I don't fertilize much but then I have less light.

**kattiq** · 03-20-2013, 03:40 PM

Okay, thanks! Looks like I've made a mess of things. Haha I'll be looking into getting some faster growing plants now that I have better lighting. I have my light set on a timer as well and its only on for about 6-7 hours a day as well. What does Excel actually do for the tank though? I dosed the tank with fertilizer earlier with what it had on the bottle for my sized tank. I'll do that once a week.

**Lady Hobbs** · 03-20-2013, 04:08 PM

Phosphates come in our water supply and in fish food. When you get high phosphates and then other nutrients are low, such as iron and potassium, then you can cause an imbalance. Perhaps adding some ludwigia or other plants that will grow tall and fast may help some but I would take care of that algae before adding any more new plants or it will just spread. It needs to be killed........and that's what the Flourish Excel will do. I really don't like using Excel myself but have used it in emergencies. Make sure you have good oxygen going into the tank when you use it.

I'd also do that bleach dip on the Anubias and java to kill off what you have there and trim away leaves not looking good. They are just sapping strength from the main plant. I added new lights to my 55 last year and I have the constant problem with green spot since I increased my lights. The only plant that is bothered by it is the Anubias so they get a bleach dip every few months. They are attached to driftwood so I just drop the whole thing in the sink for 2 minutes then rinse off well. I do get green spots on the glass, tho, so constantly scrapping at it. I probably need to increase my ferts in that tank, too, but all I have in it is crypts and anubias so am a little stingy with it.

**kattiq** · 03-20-2013, 04:29 PM

Alright I'll get me some as soon as I can and start the process! Thanks again for ALL the help. :)

**genocidex** · 03-20-2013, 04:48 PM

What lh is neglecting to tell you is how excell helps. It add co2 to the water to help the plants use up the nutrients fast. But on the down side excell has nutrients in it, thus can slow down the algae's starvation. I personally dont like doesnt a mix of ferts and co2 (excell) but ive found i can better controll the co2/nutrient levels better with seachems general fert and api's co2 booster.

Either one should help you. And +1 to lh when she said make sure theres a bubbler going.

**kattiq** · 03-20-2013, 04:52 PM

Okay thanks for the other option geno!

**Cermet** · 03-20-2013, 06:25 PM

I have had issues with a similar algae when lights are either on too long or too intense; that is even with far lower nitrates (under 0.5 ppm); phosphates, however, do help most types of algae and due to food and fish, are always farly high in aquariums when the water isn't change almost daily. Limit lights to eight hours max (use a timer) and the watts should be under two/gal. Also, the color temp is correct for plants (around 6500 K?)

Look likes this has already been covered except for light time.

**Lady Hobbs** · 03-20-2013, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by genocidex

What lh is neglecting to tell you is how excell helps. It add co2 to the water to help the plants use up the nutrients fast. But on the down side excell has nutrients in it, thus can slow down the algae's starvation. I personally dont like doesnt a mix of ferts and co2 (excell) but ive found i can better controll the co2/nutrient levels better with seachems general fert and api's co2 booster.

Either one should help you. And +1 to lh when she said make sure theres a bubbler going.

Well, it kind of works like CO2 with CO2 being like a 10 and Excel being about a 5 in that category But I think it's a dangerous product myself and I lost a couple cory's due to it and all my flag fish. Anytime you add Glutaraldehyde to a fish tank I believe caution should be used and that's the chief ingredient in Excel. Here's a bit of what it's used for:

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Glutaraldehyde is an antimicrobial, bactericide, fungicide, and virucide, commonly used to sterilize medical instruments. It is also used as an embalming fluid, as an ingredient in Anti-Freeze, an antibacterial agent in cooling towers, a leather tanning agent, a biocide in water treatment, a sanitary solution for portable toilets, and is used to sterilize ballast tanks in ships moving from one water source to another (to kill off pathogens and critters that may be transferred in the tanks from one water way to another).Glutaraldehyde is also an algaecide.
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This is why I said I would only use it in emergencies. Perhaps larger fish may be fine with it but I just can find no reason to add anything like this to a fish tank unless I absolutely had to. I just like my fish more than I like my plants and they have to come first. I mean, does a tank really need CO2 so badly that stuff like this has to be used? Not for me it doesn't.

But then, many use it all the time and aren't bothered with it so it's probably just me and being overly cautious. After all, I take a blood thinner every day that's made up of RAT POISON!

On a forgotten note, as well, is that Excel KILLS several plants. I see she has java moss in her tank that can not tolerate Excel. It also kills vals and a few other plants. (A bleach dip will also kill her java moss.) This is why I mentioned getting rid of one of those light bulbs as lights appear to be the main problem here.

(I only had to edit this post 3 times.) LOL